Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning Sarah Mitchell said NSW schools continue to be safe and operations are in line with NSW Health guidelines.

“All students should be learning on-campus unless they are unwell or have a medical certificate to support their absence,” Ms Mitchell said.

“The majority of school-based activities will resume on Monday June 15 or for school sport at the beginning of Term 3 on July 20, in line with the resumption of community sports.

“Canteens and uniform shops can already operate with volunteers. From Monday, external providers like music and drama tutors can provide services on school sites and community use activities such as dance schools can resume their use of school premises.”

Importantly, support services such as early intervention programs and external counselling services can take place on site, providing support for our most vulnerable students.

“External visitors and community providers must ensure they maintain physical distancing and abide by all health and hygiene requirements,” Ms Mitchell said.

“We continue to ask parents and carers to limit their access to school sites except for essential parent/teacher meetings, although parents and teachers can continue to use online meetings.”

Ms Mitchell said school sporting activities, including inter-school competitions, can also resume from the beginning of Term 3.

“School sport is a vital part of the curriculum and our communities, providing the right balance to academic activities and helping to maintain the health and wellbeing of students,” she said.

“Non-contact, school sporting activities can already take place on site, but from the beginning of Term 3, contact sport and external sporting competitions can start again.

“Schools will simply be in lockstep with the community with regard to sport given community sports were given the go ahead as of 1 July.

“The community has done such a great job in reducing the spread of COVID-19 that restrictions can now be further relaxed and we can get our schools back on a normal footing.

“Some activities remain under review, including excursions, school camps and on-site parent events. We will continue to reassess these in line with the latest health advice,” Ms Mitchell said.

Activities allowed from Monday 15 June 2020

• All Department of Community and Justice activities including:
  • external counselling services
  • domestic and family violence services
  • family support services
  • targeted early intervention programs
  • youth engagement support programs
  • Men’s Sheds
  • supported playgroups
• School assemblies (limited to 15 minutes and no external visitors)
• Choirs and performing arts (within school setting only at this point, no inter-school activities)
• Incursions/external adult providers to support delivery of curriculum (e.g. music tutors, sport skills development programs, science demonstrations, drama tutors, Healthy Harold).
• Activities using hydrotherapy pools (including external pools in line with the providers’ guidelines)
• Day field trips to outdoor locations
• Face to face TAFE attendance in line with TAFE schedule
• Community use activities used by students such as dance classes, and student sport skills development related activities outside of school hours with limited adult attendance (curriculum and extra-curriculum purposes)
• Community use activities on weekends involving adult attendance (complying with relevant guidelines) not essential to continuity of education
• School photos (although no group staff photos)

Activities allowed from beginning of Term 3

• All school sport and activities including competitions aligned with current health advice (including those activities run by external organisations)
• Inter-school student events and competitions (choirs, sport, debating, public speaking, performing arts, Selective Sports High School trials etc)
• Incursions not already permitted involving external adult providers maintaining distancing and hygiene aligned with the health advice of the day
• SRE/SEE volunteers
• P&C meetings – strong preference for on-line where possible
• Parent/teacher meetings – where these need to take place
• Official visitors and dignitaries (consistent with current protocols)
• Staff meetings can be held taking into account physical distancing and maximum numbers in a space according to current health guidelines, or use on-line technology
• Work experience for students
• Practicum teaching for tertiary education students
• VET work placements can proceed subject to the availability of placement and appropriate risk assessments.
• School-based apprenticeships and traineeships can recommence once the relevant workplaces are back in operation
• Community use activities involving general adult attendance (such as community markets)